1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for the preparation of a component useful in producing polymer products and more specifically to a process for the preparation of a metal halide-amide reaction product, useful in producing amide-aldehyde polymers which can be advantageously used in structural members, as adhesives, in laminates, and insulation materials.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of polymer products, in particular as binders or adhesives, in construction and building materials is well known in the art. A large number of patents disclose polymeric materials useful in the production of structural members, building materials, ornamental members, as adhesives, etc. Various classes of polymeric products are employed in order to obtain various chemical and physical properties in the ultimate products produced.
One particularly useful class of polymeric materials includes the condensation product of an amide and an aldehyde.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,787,368 discloses polymeric products and a process for the production thereof, these polymeric products being prepared by polymerizing an organic compound containing at least two labile hydrogens in the presence of a zirconium, hafnium or titanium halide. Suitable examples of organic compounds containing at least two labile hydrogen atoms disclosed include amides, aminoplasts, carboxylic acids, polyhydroxy compounds and other compounds capable of forming reactive complexes with zirconium, hafnium and titanium halides. The disclosure is that the reactive complex of these compounds with zirconium, hafnium and titanium halides is produced simply by mixing the components or by mixing the components in the presence of water.
Unfortunately, a large number of disadvantages occur in the preparation of these reactive complexes described in the above mentioned patent since if the components are simply mixed, particularly as solids, to achieve a reaction, an intimate contact of the individual components is not obtained. Further, if water is employed in order to increase the intimate contact of the components to produce the complex reaction product, fuming occurs with the release of noxious hydrogen halide gases with a simultaneous marked increase in temperature of the reaction system. This gives rise to problems with respect to environmental pollution in the release of gaseous hydrogen halides since the equipment employed must be designed to eliminate or at least minimize release of such into the atmosphere. In addition, due to the corrosive nature of hydrogen halides, the equipment employed must be corrosion resistant. Further, due to the marked increase in temperature which occurs, both a very slow addition of reactants is necessary which is disadvantageous from a commercial standpoint but also the equipment designed to handle higher than normal temperatures is necessary.
Further, when the components of the reaction system are simply mixed, i.e., where water is not used as a reaction medium, to improve the contact between the comparator being reacted, it is necessary to heat the system, particularly where the organic compound containing these two labile hydrogen atoms is not a liquid, at normal temperatures. This additionally is disadvantageous from a commercial standpoint because of the energy requirements to initially heat the components and subsequently cool the reaction product system to normal temperatures of operation.
While the reaction product between the organic compound containing at least two labile hydrogen atoms with the zirconium, hafnium or titanium halide when subsequently reacted with an aldehyde to produce polymer products, results in the production of useful polymer materials, the disadvantages described above are quite important, particularly from a commercial standpoint. Elimination or at least minimization of these disadvantages has been desired.